Hay is conventionally baled using a large vehicle known as a hay baler. In general, the hay baler uses a device known as a pickup to harvest the hay. The pickup comprises a series of metal bands on a spool that rotates as it passes over the hay along with the hay baler moving over a field of hay. After the hay is harvested by the pickup, the hay is transported to a connected baler that presses the hay into a bale and cuts the bale to size. The hay may be compressed by a spring mechanism and packing arm that moves back and forth as hay is collected inside of a bale chamber. When a complete bale is made, the baler ties the bale with twine and ejects them to the field. Square bales are built in many different sizes. In one embodiment, the apparatus disclosed herein accommodates, without additional pre-processing, and in an un-ground or un-chopped state, bales of 3′×4′ cross section with lengths of 6′ to 9′ and also 4′×4′ cross section with lengths of 6′ to 9′. As described, the aforementioned bales weigh between 700 and 2500 pounds. The apparatus can also accommodate any size or shape bale that is first ground or chopped into a loose state and then repressed by the apparatus by first loading the ground or chopped hay into a loose hay loading chamber also incorporated into the apparatus.
With increased hay exports, it would be advantageous to develop an apparatus for compressing conventional hay bales making them more suitable for shipment. Ideally, the apparatus would be mobile allowing it to be transported to the source of the hay bales.